Nick Braithwaite is a lawyer with Clifford Chance and editor of The International Libel Handbook. When Observer journalist John Sweeney described the millionaire Barclay twins, David and Frederick, as “interesting people with an interesting past”, he could never have predicted just how interesting his next year would be. As a result of comments he made […]
I was amused to read Paul Marsh’s letter in defence of dinosaurs (The Lawyer, 11 February). I am very surprised that Mr Marsh does not appear to be aware that solicitors in Scotland have successfully been selling property for hundreds of years. He also makes reference to two property cases in Surrey where claims have […]
The Bar Council’s pupillage clearing system has found itself in the last chance saloon with criticism coming from all quarters. Calls to reform the process have been heard from students and chambers alike, forcing a pledge from the Bar to give more support to the system in the next year. However, if more time had […]
The director of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, Peter Ross, has promised that the OSS will give full consideration to the British Legal Association’s complaint about the perceived mishandling of the Regis computer project. The complaint refers to solicitor members of the Law Society’s management board from January 1995 onwards. Ross said: “The […]
Deceased husband's sperm ought not to have been stored without his written consent
R v Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Ex Parte Blood (1996) Summary: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 does not permit any storage of sperm for any purposes unless the donor's consent has been obtained.
Slaughter and May is to add another senior lawyer to its pensions team in the City, this time from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Charles Magoffin, a partner at Freshfields since 2010, is joining Slaughters as a senior counsel from September. Slaughters has still only ever made one lateral hire in the City, also into its pensions […]
Litigation funders will be keeping a close eye on an upcoming review into third-party funding regulation, proposed caps on returns, as well as litigation costs. The Civil Justice Council is looking to produce a full report by the summer of 2025. The review follows an increased focus on litigation funders and their role in disputes, […]
In its largest promotions round ever, Ashurst has elevated eight London lawyers to partner out of 30 worldwide. The firm has made up eight lawyers in London, as well as seven in Sydney. In total, 17 promotions were made in Ashurst’s Australian offices, meaning just five were made outside of either London or Australia. Loans […]
Frustrated Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) candidates are calling on the SRA to increase accessibility to the appeals process after a results error saw 175 candidates mistakenly told they had failed their exams. On Monday last week, the SRA announced that 175 candidates who sat SQE1 in January and were told they had failed on 14 […]
The administrators of collapsed firm Axiom Ince have filed a creditors’ bankruptcy petition against its former boss. Filed at the end of last week, the petition will seek to force Pragnesh Modhwadia’s bankruptcy, The Lawyer understands, applying to the court for his assets to be taken and sold to pay debts to the administrators. Pinsent Masons […]
This reports contains: detailed analysis of 12 UK top 100 ‘City independents’ exploration of their growth trajectories and strategies amidst industry consolidation and rising costs analysis of increased specialisation within practice areas City independents firms’ efficiency
This report contains: five-year headcount growth analysis at the French firms in the European 100 an analysis of firms’ partnerships examining how long it takes to make partner at France’s elite firms
Read this report to gain insights into: The evolving role of in-house teams amidst market transformations Current attitudes and increased adoption of artificial intelligence tools Organizations’ continued emphasis on flexible working culture Projections for spend on external legal counsel over the next five years Enhanced feedback on quality of service from private practice law firms […]
This report contains: an overview of the history of UK and US firm in Russia an analysis of the opportunities, challenges and litigation brought on by sanctions regimes a summary of the firms acting in Russian litigation in London
This report contains: an analysis of 15 UK firms’ cash flow management and lock-up trends over the past five years lock-up correlated with profitability to demonstrate the impact of strong financial management for firms’ bottom line details on the adoption of technology by firms to make their financial management more efficient
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Barclays’ legal team was once among the most influential in the UK. That power has diminished over the last decade, yet the banking giant still packs a punch when it comes to talent management. Some 40 lawyers are understood to have left Barclays in the UK last year. There are cost-cutting measures at play here, […]
Keystone Law, the poster child for the platform firm, is likely to break the psychologically important £100m revenue barrier in 2025. The success of this firm has spawned a new market, which is challenging traditional firms on the talent front. More than 3,500 lawyers now work across a variety of fee-sharing outfits, research from Atlas […]
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Gowling WLG and Norton Rose Fulbright’s London offices will all be under water in a few decades. This trio shares idyllic views overlooking the Thames, but they will all be submerged in the river by the year 2100 as climate change-induced sea level rises occur. And this is based on the […]
Talent churn is accelerating among the junior ranks with today’s associates more mobile than the generations before them. The concept of long-term professional loyalty is fading as Gen Z rises. These lawyers ask not what they can do for you, but what your firm can do for them. This generational shift in working attitudes is […]
Hooray, big-ticket M&A is having a mini-revival and so are the firms that make so much of their money out of it. Already in 2024, major European M&A deals to have been announced include International Paper’s £5.8bn planned acquisition of London-listed packaging company DS Smith, which trumped another offer from rival Mondi. Other significant matters […]
Partnership promotions are continuing apace, with three City firms announcing a fresh new set of partners for 2024. Addleshaw Goddard has bumped up 26 lawyers this promotions round, which is the largest number of lawyers to make partner in one go in the firm’s history. The international firm’s partner count now stands at 429. Nine […]
Cooley is set to defend LGBTQ+ social networking and dating app Grindr in a High Court class action launched by Austen Hays, a new collective actions firm owned by Gateley. The claim alleges that Grindr is in breach of UK data protection laws for sharing sensitive data with third parties for commercial purposes without their […]
Norway’s Sands has suffered one of the largest mass defections in its history after six partners left to join Big Five firm Wiersholm in Trondheim. The hires bolster Wiersholm in a range of the firm’s key sectors, including marine law, renewables, technology, real estate and tax. The firm has committed to further growth over the […]
Staff at Baker McKenzie are being encouraged to sit next to co-workers outside their teams, in a bid to stop people from flocking to familiar faces on office days. Bakers’ seating scheme at its new London headquarters 280 Bishopsgate is intended to encourage workers to meet people with whom they would not normally interact. While […]
Welcome to The Passport, your regular round-up of all the most important stories to come from the European legal market. In this edition, CMS Wistrand recently went live and its drivers were myriad, but one in particular stood out for us; Poland is dangerously underlawyered in one very particular area; and Pinsents has embarked on […]
